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HP's new thin-and-light tablet

HP's new thin-and-light tablet

Dan Ackerman Editorial Director / Computers and Gaming
Dan Ackerman leads CNET's coverage of computers and gaming hardware. A New York native and former radio DJ, he's also a regular TV talking head and the author of "The Tetris Effect" (Hachette/PublicAffairs), a non-fiction gaming and business history book that has earned rave reviews from the New York Times, Fortune, LA Review of Books, and many other publications. "Upends the standard Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs/Mark Zuckerberg technology-creation myth... the story shines." -- The New York Times
Expertise I've been testing and reviewing computer and gaming hardware for over 20 years, covering every console launch since the Dreamcast and every MacBook...ever. Credentials
  • Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
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Dan Ackerman
The HP Compaq 2710p

We have a love/hate relationship with tablet PCs. On one hand, we dig the swiveling displays and touch screens, even if we rarely find a chance to use them. On the other hand, adding convertible tablet functionality to a laptop often means adding size and weight, while knocking components down a notch or two.

HP is one of the few PC makers that can design smart-looking tablets (such as the consumer friendly tx1000). New today is the HP Compaq 2710p Tablet PC, a 12-inch widescreen tablet that weighs in at 3.6 pounds and is only 1.1 inches thick. HP smartly adds a LED Backlit display, which helps with battery life and weight, plus Intel's Ultra Low voltage Core 2 Duo CPUs. Looks like the standard HP digitizer screen and stylus are included, which makes this a thin, lightweight package worth checking out.

There are five pre-configured models available, starting at $1,649 and going up to $2,478 for a bigger hard drive, slightly faster processor and a second GB of RAM. We have one of these on order, so check back soon for a full review.